Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-17
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The chart below shows the number of households in the US by their annual income in 2007, 2011 and 2015.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.
Student answer (Band 5.0)
The given bar graph compares the number of households in the US by their annual income. The data pertains to the time period of the years 2007, 2011 and 2015. Overall, the highest number of households was approximately 33 million with an annual income of $100,000 or more in 2015, while the lowest number of households was near 14 million with an annual income of $75,000 to $99,999.
On a cursory look, it becomes evident that the bar graph depicts certain number of households in each given year which were increased. For instance, in 2007, the highest number of households was near 29 million with an annual income of $100,000 or more, while in 2011, the highest number of households was accounted at 30 million with an annual income of $25,000-$49,999. Similarly, in 2015, the highest number of households was roughly 33 million with an annual income around $100,000 or more.
In comparison, the graph represents some of the households which were lowest in each year; for example, if we look at the year 2007, the lowest number of households was nearly 14 million with an annual income of $75,000 to $99,999. Furthermore, in 2011, the lowest number of households was roughly 13 million with an annual income of $75,000 to $99,999. Similarly, in 2015, the lowest number of households was approximately 15 million with an annual income of $75,000 to $99,999.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student attempts to address the prompt by selecting features from the bar chart, but the task response is somewhat confused and repetitive. In the overview, the student incorrectly states that the highest number of households overall was approximately 33 million in 2015, whereas the chart shows 33.5 million, and misidentifies the lowest category as having 14 million households. Furthermore, the body paragraphs focus almost exclusively on listing the highest and lowest values for each year rather than providing a cohesive summary of main trends or comparisons across income brackets. The figures cited are generally close to the visual data, but the analytical selection lacks depth, keeping this response within the Band 5 to 6 range.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The text is organized into distinct paragraphs, including an introduction with an overview, and separate body paragraphs focusing on high and low values. However, the progression within and between paragraphs is overly mechanical. Phrases like "On a cursory look, it becomes evident" and "In comparison, the graph represents some of the households" feel unnatural and formulaic. Cohesive devices are sometimes used awkwardly, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase "some of the households which were lowest in each year". Paragraphing is present, but the overall logical arrangement shows limited progression.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate basic data points such as "annual income", "households", and "bar graph". However, the range is limited and repetitive, relying heavily on basic phrasing like "highest number of households" and "lowest number of households". Attempts at less common lexical items are sparse, and some collocations are slightly unnatural, such as "the highest number of households was accounted at 30 million". Spelling and word choice errors do not impede communication, but lexical flexibility remains basic.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses such as "households in the US by their annual income" and "households that were increased". There are several grammatical inaccuracies and awkward phrasings, such as "depicts certain number of households... which were increased" and "the graph represents some of the households which were lowest in each year". While these errors do not completely obscure the meaning, they are frequent enough to detract from the overall fluency and precision of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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